Sewing machine attachment



Aug. 23, 1960 Filed July 19, 1958 I H. TOMLINSON SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet l [.VVENTOR. B Y /wff .7E/72552750 A T TOR/VE Y Aug. 23, 1960 H. 'roMLlNsoN 2,949,872

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed July 1a, 1958 2 sheets-sheet 2 fifa@ A TTORN Y SEWlN G MACHINE ATTACHMENT Horace Tomlinson, Baseline, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 18, 1958, Ser. No. 749,388

2 Claims. (Cl. `112- 18) The invention relates to lattachments for sewing machines and more particularly to attachments for use with machines when sewing materials having a fur or pile. Many materials sewn are provided with one or more sides having a pile extending from the base material. This is true of furs and carpeting, for example. Carpets for automotive vehicles and building installations are often made from materials having a relatively long pile extending from the base. When several pieces of material must be sewed together to provide a linished product, the seams are overcast together with the sides of the materials having the pile extending therefrom being adjacent each other during the stitching operation. In order to provide a seam which is lrelatively invisible, it is desirable to attach the materials together `along a seam yline which contains a minimum amount of pile and has the pile extending away from the seam toward the main body of material rather than toward the material edges. In the past, when sewing such seams, the operator had to manipulate a wand while sewing the materials in order -to `continually push the pile downwardly and keep it out of the seam line. This operation depended upon the dexterity of the operator for success and slowed down the entire operation.

The invention provides a pile depressor which automatically pushes the pile away from the seam line and toward the main body of material so that when the materials are sewn together all of the pile will extend in the same direction and toward the main body of the materials. This results in a much neater operation than obtained heretofore since it does not depend upon the close attention and manual capability of the operator. lt also permits the operator to devote full attention to the sewing operation rather than having to work with his attention divided among several steps of the operation. This is accomplished by providing a camactuated link and lever mechanism which `operates a' pile depressor foot to engage the foot with the pile as the materials being sewn are fed through the machine and sewn, the feed rollers holding the pile in the depressed position during the stitching operation. The depressor foot is in the raised position during the stitching operation so that it clears the overcast operator.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of an attachment embodying the 4invention as installed on a sewing machine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the attachment taken in the direction of arrows 2--2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the attachment taken in the direction of arrows 3 3 of Figure 2 and shows the attachment in a iirst position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 and shows the attachment in a second position. i Y

Figure 5 is a cross section view taken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of Figure 1.

The attachment is mounted to the sewing machine body 12 by any suitable means such as bracket 14. The lower end of bracket 14 is provided with a hinge 1,6 to which the attachment base member 18 may be pivotally '50. Thus the arm 50, hub 44, and arm 60 are secured 2,949,872 u Patented aug. as, 1960 secured. The base member may pivot about a horizontal axis so that it moves upwardly and downwardly in a `vertical plane. A support and lock lever 20 is pivotally attached to the upper end of bracket 14 by screw 22 and is provided with an L-shaped slot 24 adjacent its other end. The locking screw 26 extends through slot 24 and screws into the side of base member 18. When the screw is fully tightened, the lever 20 is locked in position. The short leg 28 o-f slot 24 preferably extends upwardly as shown in Figure 2 so that the shank of locking screw 26-may be received therein and the attachment will be locked in position due to the disposition of the slot. When the screw 26 is loosened, the attachment maybe pivoted upwardly about hinge 16 with the locking screw riding in the long leg of the slot 24. Thus the attachment may be either positioned for use or easily pivoted out of the way when desired.

An vattachment mounting plate 30 is attached to base member 18 by a screw 32 at the end opposite hinge 16. Plate 30 is preferably provided with an elongated slot 34 through which screw 32 extends in order to permit limited adjustment of the attachment. The outer end of plate 30 has a height guide 36 secured thereto by any suitable means. This guide keeps the upper edges of the materials being sewn at a predetermined height as will be later described.

The inner end of plate 30 has a spring retaining bracket 38 secured thereto by suitable means such as screw 40. Bracket 38 has an upwardly extending ange on which a spring retainer 42 is mounted.

One side of plate 36 opposite `bracket 38 has a hub y44 pivotally mounted thereon and extending upwardly a Vdistance slightly greater than the upwardly extending end of bracket 38. A pivot shaft 46 extends through hub 44 and plate 30 and is secured to a mounting plate by any suitable means such as nut 48.

Y The lower end of hu-b 44 has a horizontally extending arm 50 secured thereto and extending tangentially in the general `direction of the sewing machine body 12. The end of arm 50 is provided with a cam follower 52 which may take the form of a cam roller 54 mounted in a clevis 56 which is operatively attached to arm Sti. The roller 54 preferably rotates about a pin 58 having a vertical axis.

The upper end of hub 44 has a horizontal arm 60 extending radially outward and generally parallel to arm together to provide a pivot-able arm or lever which moves in a horizontal plane.

The outer end of arm 6@ preferably has a barrel roller 62 mounted for rotation about the axis of arm 60. Arm 50 is provided with a spring retainer bracket 64 which supports spring retainer 66 in general alignment with vspring retainer 42 and may also support cam follower clevis 56 if desired. A compression spring 68 is mounted on retainers 42 and 46 and abuts brackets 38 and 64 to urge arm 5t? in a clockwise direction a sseen in Figure l.

`Mo'untingplate 30 is provided with a pivot support bracket 70 adjacent the height guide 36. This bracket extends vertically vfor a distance somewhat less than the lheight of arm 60 above mounting plate 30. A vertical arm 72 is pivotally attached to bracket 70 by any suitable means such as pivot screw 74. The plane of arm 72 intersects barrel roller 62 in the central portion thereof and that roller is received within an aperture 76 formed in arm 72. Aperture 76 may be a slightly elongated slot and each side thereof is preferably provided with roller surfaces 78 and 80. Thus during the pivotal action of the attachment to be described, barrel roller 62 will be in constant contact with surfaces 78 and 80 to preventbacklash. y

The lower portion of vertical arm 72 is formed as'an extension 82 which is spaced horizontally from pivot 74. A pile depressor foot 84 is secured to the lower edge of extension 82 and is formed with a generally horizontal section 86 yand upwardly extending section 88. Section 88 preferably extends upwardly in the general direction of aperture 76.

The sewing machine to which the attachment is secured and with which it is used may have a needle bar 90 extend-ing outwardly from body 12 and actuated to provide reciprocable movement of the needle 92 which is secured in -the'outer end of the bar. The bar is provided with a stroke of such length that needle 92 will pierce, extend through the retract from the materials being sewn during the stitching operation. A pair of feed rolls 94 and 96 may be mounted below needle 9-2 and engage the materials 98 and 100 which `are being sewn together. The stitching operation takes place at the point of maximum engagement of the feeder rolls `with the materials.

As shown in Figure l, the materials being sewn are fed underneath the height guide 36 so that their upper edges engage the lower surfaces of that guide and pass between rolls 94 rand 96 in vgenerally vertical planes. The pile depressor foot 84 is aligned with the planes of the materials being sewn so that when it is moved downwardly it will separate the materials slightly at a point intermediate height guide 36 and the point at which the stitching operations are performed. Materials 98 and 100 may be provided with pile or fur 102 which is engaged by the ydepressor foot 84 Vas it moves downwardly. Thus the strands forming the pile are combed out of the seam line and the needle 92 may perform the stitching operation with no pile extending above the upper edges of materials 98 and `100. All of the pile extends downwardly toward the main body of material, as viewed in Figure 1, so that when the stitching operations are accomplished all of the pile extends toward the side of the carpet or other product being made having pile or fur. This results in a neater `appearance and 1a less bulky seam.

In order to obtain the desired action of the presser foot 84, a cam 104 is secured to one side of needle bar 90 and cam follower S2 is held in engagement therewith b-y action of spring 68. Cam 104 may be provided with a sloping edge 106 and a flat edge 108 which is generally parallel to the rdirection of reciprocable movement of the needle bar.

Figure 1 shows the sewing machine and attachment in the position at which the stitching operation is virtually complete. The needle 92 is being withdrawn from materials 98 and 100 and the needle bar 90 is moving to the left. The cam roller 54 is riding up the edge 106 of the cam, causing arms 50 and 60 to pivot counterclockwise against the force of spring 68. This action Will cause the barrel roller 62 on the end of arm 60 to move to the right as seen in Figure 3 until it occupies the position shown in Figure 4. This movement will cause the depressor foot 84 to move between materials 98 and 100 and engage the pile of those materials. The upwardly extending section 88 of foot 84 is engaged by the pile as the feed rolls 94 and 96 rotate, and the pile is guided downwardly. The horizontal section 86 of the foot holds the pile in this position during the feeding operation. The needle bar 90 moves to the right carrying cam 104 with it, needle 92 pierces material 98 and 100. At the same time 4cam roller 54 moves down slop- .ing edge 106 of the cam. Spring 68 acts on arm 50 to pivot that arm, hub 44 and arm 60 clockwise as viewed in Figure 1. This moves roller 62 to the left as viewed in Figure 3, causing vertical arm 72 to pivot counterclockwise about pivot screw 74 and lift depressor foot 84 upwardly and out of engagement with materials 98 and 100. The cycle of operation is -repeated for each feeding operation and stitching operation of the sewing machine so that all of the pile in the area of the stitching operation is depressed downwardly and out of the same line.

An attachment Afor sewing machines has thus been disclosed which automatically depresses 4and holds pile on materials being sewn together in timed relation with the feeding and the stitching operations of the machine by use of a cam follower and pivot links or rocker arms which are so arranged and cooperate to cause a pile depressor foot to yaet on the pile and obtain the desired result. The attachment obviates the necessity of the operators manipulating a wand held in one hand while trying to control the machine `and the materials. It results in a more even pile distribution which in turn gives a better appearance to the finished product as well as a less bulky and more even seam.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination with Aa sewing machine having a needle and a reciprocable needle bar and adapted to sew materials together having pile on the adjacent sides thereof, an attachment mounted on said sewing machine for combing pile of the material being sewn away from the seam immediately prior to the stitching operation of the sewing machine, said attachment comprising a base, a first arm mounted on said base for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to said sewing machine needle bar and having a cam follower at one end, said needle bar having a cam secured thereto for reciprocable movement therewith and engaging and actuating said follower whereby said first arm is pivoted, the other end of said first arm having a barrel roller mounted thereon, a second arm mounted on said base for pivotal movement in a plane substantially normal to the pivot plane of said tirst arm and having an aperture therein receiving said barrel roller therethrough whereby said second arm is pivoted by pivotal movement of said iirst arm, and a pile depressor foot secured to said second arm and intermittently engaging the pile of the material being sewn and combing the pile away from the seam.

2. Improvements in a sewing machine for sewing materials having piled surfaces and comprising feed rollers engaging the material being sewn and alternately feeding said materials and holding said materials in place for the sewing machine stitching operation and a needle bar and a needle held thereby and reciprocating to engage and disengage said materials by said needle during the stitching operation, said improvements comprising a cam secured -to said needle bar for reciprocation therewith, a base member mounted adjacent said cam, a iirst rocker arm pivotally mounted on said base member and having a cam follower and means biasing said follower against said cam and at one end land a roller at the other end, a second rocker arm pivotally mounted on said base member and receiving said first rocker arm roller whereby pivotal movement of said first rocker arm is reected by corresponding pivotal movement of said second rocker arm, and a pile compressor foot secured to said second rocker arm and positioned above the material being sewn adjacent the entrance side of said feeder rolls during the stitching operation and moved downwardly by pivotal movement of said second rocker arm -to engage and depress the pile of said materials below the seam line during the feeding operation under control of said cam whereby the seam line of the materials sewn has a minimum amount of pile therein and substantially all of the pile is retained on the pile surfaces of said materials.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 333,125 Grisel Dec. 29, 1885 524,994 Allen Aug. 28, 1894 645,539 Allen Mar. 20, 1900 2,588,281 Olday Mar. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 142,416, Sweden Oct. 6, 1953 

